Not That Different
by AvoidingResponsibilities
Summary: "Sometimes he forgot that he used to hate her." Oneshot series with mostly Alec/Clary friendship, but also a bit of Clace/Sizzy/Malec if requested. (Chapter 6, Clary gets hurt on a hunt. How will Jace and Alec react?)
1. The Change

Sometimes he forgot that he used to hate her.

Of course, if he tried he could remember every detail- first seeing that tiny redhead in Pandemonium, annoyed with her for ruining their kill. She had been a distraction that had almost sabotaged his machine, the machine that consisted of him, Jace, and Izzy. Their perfected killing machine, working as one. That's the way it had always been.

And then Jace began to leave early in the morning, attempting to slip out of the Institute unnoticed. He'd space out in the middle of training, and suddenly Alec would have a sword pointed at an unarmed Jace for the first time in over six years.

Something wasn't right.

So Alec made it his job to check up on his _parabatai,_ to make sure everything was okay. And yes, maybe he was a bit jealous. Especially when he realized that Jace was following that stupid redhead from Pandemonium.

When Alec confronted him about it Jace had shaken it off, labeling his somewhat obsessive behavior on genuine curiosity, telling Alec that he just wanted to know why the girl had the Sight, saying that she could be important.

When Alec pushed him, he saw the flash of frustration in Jace's eyes and knew that his _parabatai_ thought of him as an annoying pest, and wanted nothing more to be rid of him.

It hurt, knowing that the person who knows you better than you know yourself can't stand your presence anymore.

Alec was tired of being the voice of reason, the kind, quiet, soft grey next to Jace and Izzy's startling and unpredictable reds.

So when Jace brought the redhead to the Institute and began to become more and more infatuated with her, Alec was insanely close to losing his head. He told himself it wasn't because he was jealous- he didn't care that Jace had never looked at him like that or gave him the same attention he reserved for Clary- it was just that Alec was tired of being the cautious older brother. He wanted change.

She wasn't even that pretty. She had the body structure of a 12-year-old boy, and bright red hair that was constantly frizzy. Freckles dotted her face like chicken pox and her eyes were so huge that they made her look like a cartoon.

But Alec soon realized that all of these imperfections were what Jace loved about her. He'd spent too many nights to count sitting on his bed with Jace across from him, listening to him drone on and on about Clary. He said that he loved how tiny she was, and how aggravated she'd get when you pointed out her height. He told Alec about his fantasies of smoothing her hair down, running the strands between his fingers, wrapping it around his skin so it looked like he was on fire with the bright flames of her locks. He told Alec that when he was talking to her, he only listened to half of what she was saying because the other half of his mind was concentrated on finding constellations in her freckles, or trying to name the exact shade of green in her eyes.

Alec hated her for it.

He hated that as Jace poured his heart out on the bed, all Alec could think about was undressing him and slamming him against the mattress, feeling the fabric dip under their weight and the springs squeak in protest of their actions. Instead, Jace was having these same fantasies about Clary.

It wasn't right.

But just when his life was falling apart, when everywhere he turned all he could see was red and gold intertwined and all he could hear was _Clary Clary Clary,_ a flamboyant bisexual warlock walked into Alec's life and took his heart with him on the way out. Suddenly his world was attacked by glitter and blue hair and eyes the shapes of almonds that he just wanted to stare at forever.

Alec had finally found someone who loved him back.

As his relationship progressed with Magnus and Clary and Jace figured out all that- _Oh no you're my brother; wait you're not my brother; cool let's make out; wait who is my brother then?; oh shit I accidently made out with my actual brother whoopsies-_ crap, Alec finally got to really know Clary. He started talking to her without Izzy or Jace giving him cautious glances the entire time, and he could train with her without imagining what it would be like to choke her right on the training room floor, feel the tendons in her neck strain and hear her gasp for oxygen, watch her eyes roll back into her head as her heart finally stopped beating. Looking back on those times later on, Alec was embarrassed by his actions.

He even confessed this to Clary one day, explaining the entire story and apologizing countless times when it was over. She had simply smiled gently and pulled him into a hug, her head tucked into the middle of his chest because of their height difference. He had wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, feeling a warm sensation in his stomach that spread down to his toes and out through his fingertips.

From then on they were the best of friends.

Clary taught Alec how to cook some basic dishes to help him escape Izzy's cooking some nights, and that eventually led to them attempting to make increasingly complex dishes that they didn't have half of the ingredients or supplies for.

They went to concerts together, the whole gang, and after Clary complained for the umpteenth time about how she couldn't see anything, Alec would swing her up onto his shoulders and bounce them along to the music while Jace and Magnus looked on with jealousy.

Clary would drag Alec into the library where she'd placed the TV, making him help her create a fort. She'd steal the blankets he was using to make a roof and then deny knowing their location when he asked her later. The only thing that could make her crack was when Alec jumped on her and ripped her shoes and socks off, tickling the bottoms of her bare feet.

Izzy or Jace or even Maryse would pass by the library later that night to see Clary curled up on Alec's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. _The Lion King_ would be playing quietly on the TV, washing the two teenagers in various colors. Empty candy wrappers would litter the floor around their little cocoon, pillows thrown haphazardly around the room. It was a sight that could warm even the coldest of hearts.

Whenever the group went out hunting at Pandemonium, it was Alec who would stare down any boy who looked at Clary for too long. When Jace was around, God help the poor soul who even glanced at the redhead the wrong way.

Alec was the one to shoot down the demon that had snuck up behind Clary, ready to sink its claws into her back. Alec was the one to bring her favorite foods from Taki's when she was feeling miserable from the flu. Alec was the one who quizzed her on rune vocabulary for weeks on end and reassured her that she'd pass her Codex exams.

And it was Clary who marked Alec up before every hunt. It was Clary who introduced Alec to Glee, and it was Clary who caught him singing along to the soundtrack of season 3 one night in his boxers. It was also Clary who took a video of said moment, but she never showed it to anyone. Except Izzy, and maybe Jace.

So, in spite of their attitudes when they first met each other, Alec and Clary weren't really all that different.

And as it turns out, they kind of like things this way.

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 **OH MY GOD I'VE WANTED TO EXPLORE CLARY AND ALEC'S FRIENDSHIP! But there have never really been too many fics on it. SO, here you all go! I really hope you like it, I'll reread and edit this later because I'm sure some of the spelling and grammar is horrendous, but I had a lot of fun writing this.**

 **It's probably a failure, like my last Mortal Instruments fic was. Oh well.**

 **PLEASE review! I need to know if people actually like what I'm writing, because I feel like I'm just sitting here reading my own stories and laughing at my own jokes.**

 **That's probably not too far from the truth, actually. And no one even reads ANs anyways, if you're reading this you're freaking awesome.**

 **Okay, I'll stop rambling now. I love you all so much!**

 **-A :))**


	2. The Titty Cake

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT, IT'S CHEATING!" Jace heard his girlfriend scream down the hallway. HE was currently sitting in the kitchen, trying to convince Isabelle too order dinner from Taki's instead of having her cooking, when he was interrupted by the yelling.

"No rules means no cheating, Lissa!" Jace heard his adoptive brother, Alec, yell back. "It's your fault that you have such little legs."

This wasn't an unusual occurrence in the Institute, and actually happened about every other day. Clary and Alec would argue about something, resulting in a yelling match that everyone in the building had to listen to. An hour later, they would make up.

What was not normal, however, was Alec stumbling into the kitchen, Clary wrapped around his back.

"What are you—CLARY STOP IT!" Alec was shouting at the little redhead currently clinging onto him for dear life. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist from behind, her arms clamped around his neck in an iron grip. Her eyes briefly met Jace's, and he could see the adrenaline in her green irises.

Alec continued to move forward, Izzy darting out of his path. He ran to the fridge, flinging it open with a grunt. Clary shrieked and scrambled on her back, reaching over his head to grab the top of the refrigerator. Once she had a good grip on the metal she kicked out, pushing against Alec's chest. He screeched and fell backwards into a chair, toppling to the ground with a clash. Clary jumped down from the fridge and pulled something out of it, promptly turning around and hiding it somewhere.

Alec sprung up from the mess, his blue eyes wild. "Clary, give it to me! It's mine."

Clary turned to grin at him, her red hair a tangled mess around her face, her skin glowing with happiness. Jace had never thought she'd looked more beautiful. "You said it belonged to whoever got it first, and I got it first!"

"What's 'it'?" Izzy asked, looking between her brother and best friend with a smile.

"A piece of cake. Alec wants it, but so do I because it's my favorite flavor." Clary explained, and Jace had to stifle a laugh. Leave it to his girlfriend to get so possessive over a piece of cake that she'd physically latch herself onto someone like a leech. "It's mine now."

"Oh yeah? If it's yours now, then where is it?" Alec challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's in my bra."

Jace stumbled against the kitchen counter as Izzy choked next to him. Alec looked positively mortified, his face turning as red as Clary's hair. "W-what?" He managed to stutter out, eyes wide.

Clary smiled proudly. "I stuck it in my bra, so you can't get it." She explained, and then stuck out her chest, "Unless you want to check."

Alec continued to splutter, and Jace had to hold back a laugh. Izzy giggled next to him, "That's my girl!"

Clary's eyes flashed and her smile turned mischievous. "You don't want to look for it?" She asked Alec innocently, as the older boy gaped at her. Jace smiled from the table, _She looks absolutely evil,_ he thought, _and I love it._

Finally, after about another minute of Alec staring at Clary, the black-haired boy walked out, mumbling about stupid girls and their stupid bras.

As soon as he was gone Clary laughed and opened the fridge. She emerged with a piece of chocolate cake on a plate, covered in plastic wrap.

"Wait, what?" Izzy furrowed her brow. "Is that the cake you guys were just fighting over?"

Clary smiled, eyes wide. "Yep."

"But I thought—"

"You really think I could stuff this piece of cake, even without the plate, down my bra? Did you even think that it might make my boobs look weird?"

Jace laughed, walking up to his girlfriend and wrapping her in his arms. "You," he kissed the top of her head, "Are an evil genius."

Clary giggled and shoved him away. "That doesn't mean you get any."

Jace pouted, and she laughed. Izzy seemed to still be confused, and plopped down in a chair. She looked up at Clary with wide eyes, seemingly awed. "You're incredible."

"Thanks," Clary said, "But it's really not too hard to manipulate Alec. Once you figure out how to do it, it's insanely easy. Wanna see another trick?"

Both Izzy and Jace nodded enthusiastically, so Clary set down her cake and yelled out the door, "Alec! I'll still share, if you want some!"

Alec's voice was heard down the hall, "Hell no! I don't want any of your titty cake!"

Clary laughed, and turned to the shadowhunters in the kitchen. "Now I don't have to share with him when he figures out that it wasn't really in my bra."

"Genius." Jace repeated, leaning against the counter.

Clary giggled again, grabbing a fork.

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 **I'm sorry that this is so insanely short and that I haven't updated in forever. I honestly didn't really think that anyone would read this, and when you guys said you wanted more, I had absolutely no idea what to do. But I think I've got it now, so this story is going to continue as a oneshot series, with a bunch of Alec and Clary cuteness, along with some Clace and Malec and Sizzy fluff scattered throughout.**

 **PLEASE give me any idea suggestions, because I'm really running out of inspiration, and I want to make you guys happy. So I'd really appreciate it if you let me know what you thought or gave me any oneshot requests in the form of a review. It makes me so happy to hear from all of you.**

 **As always, I love every single one of you, and thanks for taking the time to read my story!**

 **-A :))**


	3. The Secret

Alec entered his room, unconsciously releasing a relieved sigh as his eyes darted over the familiar space. Everything was just as he'd left it—his bed was made, the sheets crisp and neat, his weapons were proudly displayed over his nightstand, and the floor was bare of any clutter.

Alec shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it. His family had a bad habit of not knocking or respecting personal space at all, and sometimes it seemed like Alec was the only one in the Institute that actually valued his privacy.

Just as Alec had fallen onto his bed and was about to pick out a book to read, a timid voice sounded outside his door. "Alec?"

Alec would know that voice anywhere, and involuntarily smiled at the sound of it. "Lissa?"

"Why's the door locked?"

Alec laughed, pulling himself off of the bed. "You guys never knock. I've got to take precautions."

He opened the door, fully revealing the little redhead huddled behind it. Alec was expecting to see her the way she usually appeared, eyes glowing and whole body bouncing with energy. He had figured that she just wanted to ask him to watch a movie with her, or maybe train.

What Alec was not expecting to see was a haggard Clary, the girl in front of him practically folded in on herself. When he inspected her face, his heart dropped as he noticed the dark circles ringing her eyes, paired with her sunken cheeks and unnaturally pale skin. "Lissa? By the angel, what happened?"

The girl simply offered a small smile, which Alec noticed looked more like a grimace. "Can I come in?" Clary's voice was hoarse, and Alec's throat ached just hearing it.

"Of course, sit down."

She entered the room, glancing around before lowering herself onto his bed. She barely made the mattress dip, and Alec quickly scrutinized her body, noting how thin she was. He could practically see the entire outline of her skeleton, and her arms were so tiny that they resembled twigs.

"Clarissa, what happened?" Alec asked, and Clary looked up. Alec almost always called her by the nickname he'd given her, 'Lissa'. It was a cute spinoff of Clarissa, and both Alec and Clary loved having something they could share in that way. However, there were times when Alec called her by her full name. That's when Clary knew that he meant business.

"Nothing happened." Clary answered, but Alec heard how tight her voice was. He sat down next to her on the bed, and saw that her eyes were red and bloodshot.

"That's bullshit, and you know it. Have you been crying?"

The redhead simply looked down at the ground, "I just had a bad dream. It's no big deal."

"Lissa, that's a huge deal." Alec himself had been plagued by night terrors, and knew firsthand just how brutal they could be. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd bolted upright in bed, being chased by horrifying ghosts of the past. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Clary finally met his eyes, emerald green clashing with striking blue. "It was Sebastian."

The way she said the name absolutely broke Alec's heart. She whispered it in a voice so small it was as if she was afraid speaking it any louder would hurt her. "Oh."

Clary looked down again, the tops of her toes barely brushing the floor due to her short stature. "I never told anyone what happened that night. Not even Jace."

Alec reached out to grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he noticed how tense the girl was. "What night?"

"The night Sebastian was going to make me drink from the Cup." Clary's voice trembled, and Alec realized how hard this topic really was for Clary to talk about.

"What happened, Lissa? You know you can tell me anything."

Clary looked up again, her eyes glassy. "I know, Alec. I just want you to understand. Do you promise you won't judge me for it?"

"Oh God, did you cheat on Jace?"

"What? No!" Clary's face momentarily turned angry as she slapped Alec's arm. "Are you insane?"

"Then what's so bad?"

Clary didn't respond.

"Lissa, it's okay. Talk to me." Alec rubbed the top of her hand with his thumb, stroking her skin in gentle circles, silently coaxing her to speak.

"He wanted me."

Alec's blood went cold. Later on, he would realize that it only took three words to make his heart stop beating. Instantly his thumb stopped moving on Clary's hand and his eyes widened, his vision turning red. "What?" He practically growled, and felt Clary recoil from the sound of his voice.

Alec immediately felt guilty and forced himself to calm down for a moment, if only for Clary's sake. His hand tightened protectively on hers, and he managed to take a deep breath and release some of the tension in his body.

Clary noticed this and relaxed, leaning towards him a bit. "He was yelling, and throwing things at me. He said—" Suddenly the girl's words were cut off by a whimper, a sound so pitiful and heartbreaking that Alec's chest physically ached. He gasped from the pain.

"What did he say, Clary?" Alec's voice was angry again, and he could feel his lips curl back in a snarl. If this was going the way he thought it was—

"I don't want to!" Clary cried out, and buried her face onto Alec's shoulder. Upon feeling her tears begin to soak through the fabric of his shirt Alec promptly pulled the girl into his lap, wrapping his arms around her protectively. He began to stroke her hair, muttering comforting phrases into her ear as she sobbed into his chest.

After about a minute of consoling, Clary pulled away. "He said that in ancient times, siblings would have sex all the time. He said that it kept the bloodlines pure—" Her voice once again broke, and she pressed her lips together in an attempt to ward off the oncoming sobs.

"That bastard." Alec whispered, and was surprised by the power his own voice held. It was quiet, but sounded murderous. It perfectly described how Alec was feeling.

The thought of that asshole throwing things at Clary, yelling at her, hurting her—it was too much for Alec to handle. There was no way he was going to survive. Once Alec got a hold of him, Sebastian Morgenstern's life was over.

"Did he… did—"

"No." Clary followed Alec's train of thought, cutting him off mid stutter. "He didn't get a chance to. But he was on top of me, and he was _so strong,_ Alec…"

"Shh." Alec whispered, and pulled the redhead closer to him. "There's no fucking way he's getting away with this, Lissa. I'll make sure he never touches you again."

Clary looked up at him, and Alec felt his heart shatter at the sight of her. She looked downright miserable. Her eyes were red and puffy, her brilliant red hair a tangled mess around her head. Tears continued to mark paths down her face, and Alec tenderly wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. As his skin made contact with hers, he realized how cold she was.

"I wanted to tell someone, and I just thought…" Clary whimpered, and Alec smiled slightly at the uncertainty in her voice.

"I'm glad you told me, Lissa."

Clary looked up at him again, her eyes wide and pleading. "You don't think any less of me? You don't think I'm a…" she breathed deeply between the words, "slut?"

Alec's eye twitched at the phrase, his hold on Clary tightening instinctively. "What the fuck? Of course not! Clary," he added more gently as she flinched away from his harsh tone, "I could never think you were a slut. Where did you get that idea?"

The girl in Alec's arms shivered violently, digging herself even further into his chest. "That's what he called me."

Alec growled again, "He's insane, Clary. Don't listen to a word he says, okay? You're not a slut, you're the most caring and incredible person I know." He pulled her away to look into her eyes, "You're my best friend?"

Clary sniffled, her brow furrowed in a way that Alec would have found absolutely adorable under different circumstances. "What about Jace? Or Izzy? Or Magnus?"

Alec laughed softly, "Jace is my parabatai, that's different. Izzy's my sister, so she's already my built-in best friend. Magnus is my soulmate. I'm kind of obligated to love all of them." Alec gently pressed his forehead against Clary's, "But I don't have to love you. I chose you. You're my best friend."

Clary smiled at that, albeit a bit weakly. "I love you too," she whispered to him, their foreheads still pressed together, "I knew you'd understand."

Alec grinned back, pulling away from her. "Don't worry about anything, Lissa. I'm gonna protect you from now on. From everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah. I promise."

And that was the moment when Alec Lightwood vowed to protect Clarissa Fairchild at all costs.

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 **Alright, this was actually pretty long. I haven't edited it yet, so I apologize in advance for the abundant errors that appear. I'll fix them later.**

 **Thank you to a guest reviewer who suggested this idea, I absolutely loved it because I have a weakness for protective boyfriend/brother/friend moments. Is that weird? Maybe? Whatever. Let me know if you feel the same so I don't feel like I'm crazy.**

 **Oh yeah, and this oneshot takes place before Clary tells Jace about what Sebastian did to her in COHF.**

 **PLEASE GIVE ME MORE REQUESTS! I love hearing all of your ideas and trying to write to make you guys happy.**

 **Oh, and also a major thank you to everyone who's followed, favorited, or reviewed this story so far. Your support means the world to me, and please give me your feedback on this chapter.**

 **I love you all so much!**

 **-A :))**


	4. The Hunt Part 1

"Are you insane?! There's no way you're coming with me!"

Alec's face was bright red, his left eye twitching uncontrollably. Clary would have laughed, if she wasn't already trying so hard to convince Alec of something.

"I can take care of myself, Alec. I think I've proven that over the years."

"I'm not going to be responsible for you if you get hurt! I can't be distracted by your safety, Clary!" Alec protested, waving his arms in the air.

Clary snarled at him, "Do I need to remind you who it was that saved the world? It was someone in this room, and it wasn't the one who looks like he's about to take a shit after being constipated for five months."

Alec's eyes narrowed, although Clary could see the left corner of his mouth tremble slightly upwards. She had him.

"I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"For the last time Alec, stop worrying! It's just a hunt. I've been on a million hunts in my life."

"Yeah, but you've always been with all of us." A new voice sounded from behind the pair of bickering shadowhunters, and Clary turned to see Jace leaning against the doorway. His golden hair was wet, making it seem darker so that it looked almost brown. His chest must have still been wet as well, because Clary could clearly see the way his shirt clung to him in certain spots. She shuddered for a moment, trying to shake off all perverted thoughts of her boyfriend. There were more serious matters to attend to.

"I've also been on hunts where I've been all alone. Going with Alec will at least be safer than those times."

Jace shrugged, his golden eyes flashing. "True," he drawled, pushing himself off of the doorframe, "but if I recall correctly, all of the times you were by yourself resulted in you getting either hurt or kidnapped."

Clary tried a different approach. Making her voice as gentle as possible, she smiled softly up at Jace. "I know you have meetings, and you wish you could come. But we can't just not go on a hunt because you have former commitments. I'll be fine, and Alec will be there. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Jace tilted his head, contemplating her words, before narrowing his eyes again. "You're not going."

Clary glared at him, nostrils flaring. She decided to turn back towards Alec, knowing that she'd be more successful in getting what she wanted from him.

She stuck her bottom lip out a bit, attempting to make her eyes as wide as they would go. Soon her eyes became dry, causing a film of tears to cover her irises. Perfect.

"Please, Alec?" The redhead begged, looking up at the boy from underneath her eyelashes. Alec's face was contorted, obviously feeling conflicted emotions, and Clary pushed her bottom lip out further. Finally the older boy sighed, moving forward to wrap Clary securely in his arms.

"Fine," he rested his chin on top of her head, and she could feel his heart beating through the thin fabric of his shirt. She smiled against his chest, relishing in her victory for a moment.

"Are you serious?" Clary heard Jace exclaim from behind her, and pulled away to look at him. "We're trained to hunt demons, the most dangerous creatures in existence, and you're intimidated by one little redhead? She's only 5 foot 2 and can't even open most doors because they're too heavy!"

Clary was indignant, "Hey, my height has nothing to do with this!—"

Alec cut her off, "But, she pulled out the puppy face, Jace!" the boy whined, "She knows I can't resist that. And anyways, she's right. It's just a hunt, and I'll make sure I protect her the entire time."

Clary smiled gratefully up at Alec, but one glance at Jace wiped the grin from her face. Her boyfriend looked utterly defeated, moving over to the couch to flop down with a groan. As soon as he sat down he opened his arms, and Clary immediately made her way over to sit in his lap.

Jace's arms wrapped around Clary's waist from behind, his hands settling gently on her hips. He moved his head onto her shoulder, nuzzling his face into her sweater with a sigh. Finally he looked up, his eyes latching onto Alec.

Jace looked at his _parabatai_ with a firm gaze, his expression deadly serious. "You promise you'll protect her?"

"I'd kill myself before I let anything happen to her." Alec responded, eyes blazing with passion. "You know that."

Clary's heart fluttered involuntarily, her entire being suddenly filled with love for the two shadowhunters around her. "Guys, you know I can take care of myself, right?"

Jace chuckled, tightening his grip on her waist, "Yeah, but you have a bad habit of getting into deadly situations."

Clary huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. Everyone paused for a moment, silent, before Jace suddenly jerked away from Clary.

 _"_ _How dare you."_ He hissed.

Clary frowned, confused. "What? What's wrong?"

"Your hair."

"What's wrong with it?" Clary reached up to paw at her hair self-consciously, inspecting the strands. Yep, they were still frizzy and bright red. What was the problem?

Jace glared at her, his eyes blazing. "You used my shampoo."

"Oh, by the Angel." Clary heard Alec sigh behind her.

"What? I didn't use your shampoo, Jace! Why are you freaking out about this?"

"I can smell it on you!" Jace protested, making a point to dramatically sniff Clary's hair. "You used my kiwi shampoo. You don't even like kiwis!"

"It's not that I don't like them, I'm just allergic to them."

"Then why were you using my shampoo? You could've died!"

"I'll only have a reaction if I eat them, Jace."

"So?"

" _So,_ it's not like I was standing in the shower guzzling down your kiwi shampoo!"

Both of the bickering teenagers looked up as a noise resounded from the door. It turned out to just be Izzy, holding a few various weapons. The black-haired girl's eyes were wide as she tried, (and failed) to cover up a grin.

"Um," she said, juggling the blades in her hands, "I have no idea what I just walked in on, but I heard that Clary and Alec are going hunting and thought that you guys might want some weapons."

Clary's face burned, and when she glanced at Jace she noticed that he looked a bit sheepish as well.

After a few moments of everyone staring at each other, Clary finally got off of Jace's lap and took the weapons from Isabelle. "Thanks, Izzy."

"I still don't like you going by yourself." Jace muttered.

Clary shot him a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine," she told him, "Alec will be there."

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 **Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in like a week, school just got the best of me and my life is kinda crazy at the moment. On a side note, I FOUND OUT THAT I'M GOING TO DISNEY NEXT WEEK! Due to my vacation, I probably won't update for the four days I'm gone, but I'll try to update before then.**

 **I am sososososososo sorry that this sucks so badly. I just felt bad for keeping you all waiting, and wanted to upload at least something. Part II will consist of the actual hunt, when one of our favorite characters gets hurt. Can you guess who?**

 **Please continue to leave requests, and review to let me know what you think so far! As always, I love you all!**

 **-A :))**


	5. The Hunt Part 2

"There are only three of them. This'll be easy," Clary whispered to Alec, "And then we can have some fun."

The two shadowhunters were in the middle of Pandemonium, sitting at the bar. The pounding of the music blaring through the speakers amidst the yelling between all of the people on the dance floor was starting to make Clary's ears ring.

Alec looked at her sharply, "As soon as we're done, we're going back home. I don't want you here any longer than necessary."

"I'm not defenseless!" Clary protested, glaring at Alec. "I'm at a club, and I want to kill a few demons and then have some fun."

"No way," Alec said, "We're killing the demons and then we're out of here. Besides, have you seen the way the bartender's looking at you?"

Clary raised her eyes to find the bartender in question, realizing that he was already staring at her intently. He licked his lips as he caught her gaze, and winked. Clary recoiled instinctively, almost falling off of her barstool. Alec muffled his laugh with his hand, grinning at the redhead.

Clary glared at him, regaining her composure. "So, are we gonna kill these demons or not?"

"I'm ready when you are." Alec replied, still smiling at her.

Clary grumbled, slipping off the stool and making her way to the dance floor. She immediately caught sight of the three demons she had to kill, taking in their appearances. They were all male, and had blue hair. Two of them were turned around, but one was facing Clary. She made out the glare of bright orange eyes before she averted her gaze.

Clary felt Alec come up next to her, and saw him reach for his weapons belt in her peripheral vision. She did the same, covertly pulling out a seraph blade and stuffing it into her boot.

Without even looking at each other, Clary and Alec began to advance towards the demons. Clary approached them first, beginning to swing her hips to the beat of whatever song was playing. The three demons turned away from each other, effectively standing right in front of Clary.

Despite the pounding of her heart and her sweaty palms, Clary continued to dance. She looked up at the demons from under her eyelashes, curling her lips into a smirk. She attempted to be seductive, boldly grabbing the demon closest to her by the fabric of his shirt. The demon grinned as Clary pulled him towards her, molding his body against hers. His hands wrapped around her waist, trailing up and down her hips as Clary grinded against him.

Suddenly the demon's hands travelled a little too far south, and Clary playfully swatted them away. She grinned up at the demon, ignoring the urge to puke at the way he was looking at her. "Someone's eager."

The demon smiled, but moved his hands back to her waist. "I'm sorry, but I just find it difficult to control myself in the presence of such a beautiful woman."

Clary giggled, continuing to act her part. "You're a charmer, aren't you?"

"Well, what do _you_ think of me?" The demon replied, beginning to push Clary backwards into the direction of what she knew were the storage closets. She had to make her move now.

"Well," Clary made eye contact with Alec over the demon's shoulder, "it's too bad you won't live long enough to find out."

The demon pulled away, brow furrowed for a moment, before it caught sight of the glowing seraph blade in Clary's hand.

"Shadowhunter." The demon hissed, and Clary grinned.

"Bingo."

She shoved her blade forward towards the demon's chest, but he darted out of the way at the last minute. Clary ended up just scratching the side of his waist, and she sighed in annoyance.

"You're gonna be difficult, aren't you?"

The demon growled at her, his eyes glowing bright orange. Sharp incisors sprung out from his mouth, looking like they could tear right through Clary. She shuddered, holding her blade higher.

The demon sprung towards her, hands outstretched. In the place of his nails were claws, and Clary jumped out of the way just in time. While the demon was still trying to regain his footing from the missed attack, Clary took the opportunity to run up to him and shove the seraph blade into his back.

Black blood immediately began spurting up, burning Clary's skin wherever it touched her. She hissed in pain, but pushed her blade deeper into the demon until it finally folded in on itself.

Clary smiled, proud of her victory and that she'd proved to Jace and Alec that she was a capable shadowhunter. However, her moment became short-lived as she noticed another one of the demons running towards her. Clary could see Alec about twenty yards away, battling his own demon.

Clary ripped her eyes away from Alec, knowing that she couldn't afford to be distracted with his safety. Instead she turned her attention to the demon, raising her blade in defense.

The demon reached her, lunging forward. She sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the demon's claws. She swung her seraph blade blindly in the demon's direction, missing him by a foot. She narrowed her eyes, grunting in annoyance. Now she was angry.

Clary continued to swing at the demon and block his attacks, a deadly dance that seemed to go on for hours. Her muscles soon cramped up, despite months of training with Jace and Alec. Her attacks got sloppy, and so did the demon's. They were both getting tired, their bodies aching, but neither was going to surrender first.

Clary was about to take a clear shot at the demon's chest when she heard a sound that made her heart stop.

"CLARY!"

It was Alec, and Clary's first thought was that he was in danger. She immediately swung her head in the direction of his voice, seeing him simply standing in the middle of the dance floor. But his eyes were wide, and full of fear. Where was his demon?

Clary tilted her head towards him, giving him a confused look. Alec's eyes got even wider, reflecting almost hysterical panic.

"Behind you! CLARY!"

And suddenly Clary's body was on fire.

She screamed in agony, feeling the flames lick out from her back to encase her entire body. She looked down, but she wasn't on fire. Instead, she saw the edge of a tail sticking out of her chest, the area around it rapidly becoming stained red.

Clary looked up once more, meeting Alec's gaze. His mouth was open in a scream, but Clary couldn't hear anything. He began running towards her, his mouth forming words that made no sense to her.

Clary's knees were about to give out when the tail of the demon was yanked out of her back. Clary whimpered in pain, unable to tolerate the amount of anguish she was in.

Clary looked up at Alec again, his terrified face the last thing she saw before everything went black.

 **I**

 **I**

 **Whoops. I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger, guys! What do you think? Will Clary be alright? What will Jace's reaction be?**

 **This week is my vacation to Disney, so I'll try my best to get the next chapter up before I leave so you won't have to wait an extra week for another update.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed! I've never really written an action scene before, so PLEASE let me know how I did! I'm also always accepting requests as reviews or if you PM me. Don't be afraid to talk to me, I promise I don't bite!**

 **Thank you all for you support on this story. You guys are literally the best people ever, and I really appreciate the waffles I've been getting lately! (#)**

 **As always, please review. I love you all sosososososo much!**

 **-A :))**


	6. The Hunt Part 3

"Oh my God, oh by the angel…" Alec nonsensically muttered to himself as he leaned down beside Clary. The little redhead looked horrible, covered in demon blood, as well as her own. Her blood was the same shade of red as her hair, so Alec hadn't even noticed it at first. Now he felt like puking at the sight of her. There was a huge, gaping hole in her chest from where the demon had stabbed her, and it went all the way through her out her back.

Alec couldn't help but see Clary the way she was supposed to look, with bright hair flowing and eyes wide with wonder. He half expected her to just jump up, punch him in the shoulder, and exclaim, "Gotcha!"

But none of that happened. Instead, Clary's broken body remained cradled in Alec's arms, her skin quickly losing its color as her blood pooled around his fingers.

Through the shocking numbness surrounding him, Alec suddenly remembered his stele. He dropped Clary's head gently in his lap so he could fumble around for the device, successfully pulling it from his weapon belt.

Alec pressed the tip to Clary's pale arm, his shaking hand forming a symbol that looked nothing like an _iratze._ He groaned in frustration and tried again, attempting to stop his hand from shaking so hard. The next messy line he created looked like a child's messy connect-the-dots picture, only instead of dots, Alec was connecting Clary's freckles, and instead of drawing on paper, he was drawing on his dying best friend.

Alec didn't even realize he was crying until his fifth attempt, when Clary's skin around where he was drawing was almost all red and irritated from the burn of the stele. He had felt something wet plop onto his hand, and then saw more drops fall onto Clary. He looked up to find the source of the wetness, only to feel his eyes sting and his throat close up.

He finished the _iratze_. Clary's body began to stitch itself up.

And in the middle of a club full of people who were oblivious to the scene that had just occurred, a teenage boy leaned over the body of a bloody redhead, and cried.

 **.**

"Hello?" Jace had been in the middle of a meeting when his phone began to ring. At first he'd looked at the caller ID and declined, knowing that it was most likely Alec just calling to tell him everything was going fine with Clary.

 _Clary._ Even just the thought of her name made Jace's stomach flop. How did she have so much power over him? And how did she not even know it?

By the third time Alec called him, Jace politely excused himself from the meeting full of stuffy people. He exited the room to stand in the hall, next to a potted plant that smelled as if someone had relieved themselves in it.

"Jace?" Alec's voice was raspy, and tight. Jace's body instantly tensed, his fingers gripping the phone to his ear.

"Alec? Are you okay? Where's Clary?" He was aware of how desperate his voice sounded, but these were the two people he loved most in the world. If either one of them were hurt…

Alec's voice cracked on the other end of the line. "It's Clary."

And Jace's world collapsed.

 **.**

Amidst nightmares of demons with glowing yellow eyes and razor-sharp claws, Clary could see flashes of gold and blue. She wanted to go towards them, knowing that they would offer her safety, but as soon as she got close enough she was pulled back into the depths of her mind by creatures with slimy hands that wrapped themselves around her ankles and pulled. She tried to fight them, but she just wasn't strong enough. She was never strong enough.

 _I'm sorry, Jace._

 **.**

"How the hell did you let this happen?" Jace screamed, pacing outside of the infirmary door like a madman. His hair was incredibly tousled from him running his hands through it countless times, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Isabelle was leaning against the far wall, looking only a bit worse than Jace. Her makeup was running down her face, making her look like a clown. Everyone knew that Isabelle would rather be dead than caught with bad makeup, so this was serious.

"Jace," she tried for a gentle tone to soothe her raging brother, "Magnus said she'd be fine."

The warlock in question nodded from where he was seated next his boyfriend, glitter spraying from his hair to coat everything within a two-foot radius. "Alexander gave her the _iratze_ in time. Now it's just a matter of Clary's mind beginning to heal."

"And how long will that take?" Jace turned to him, golden eyes flaring. No one wanted to approach the blond shadowhunter, knowing all too well how quickly he could snap when Clary was in danger.

Magnus shrugged. "No longer than a week, I suppose. But it depends on biscuit, and when she thinks she's ready to wake up."

Jace growled at the back of his throat, glaring at the warlock. "You'd better know what you're doing."

Magnus sighed, standing up. He fixed his cat eyes on Jace, glaring at him with just as much intensity. "Do you think this isn't hard for me, too?" Magnus pressed his lips together, his voice breaking on the next words. "I've known her since she was a _baby_."

The area was silent for a moment as the occupants processed what Magnus had just admitted. He loved Clary just as much as the rest of them.

Jace's gaze softened for a moment, and he looked like he was about to say something when he was interrupted by the slamming of the Institute door.

Five seconds later Simon came flying into the room, his eyes blazing. "Where is she?" he demanded, turning to Jace.

Jace frowned, still not liking the vampire. "You don't get to see her."

"Are you kidding?" Simon yelled, advancing towards the shadowhunter. "I'm her best friend. If you don't let me in _right now_ I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth. And Clary will be heartbroken, but I don't really care."

Jace simply looked down at Simon with a blank expression, and then turned to Isabelle. "Could you control your animal, please?"

Izzy huffed indignantly, but grabbed Simon gently by the arm and pulled him into a corner, speaking to him in a gentle whisper.

Suddenly, the door to the infirmary opened, and Maryse stepped into the hallway. Jace was instantly up, turning to his adoptive mother with a pleading look in his eyes.

She smiled at him, and then looked at all of the other occupants of the room. "You can come inside. She's awake. But please be gentle."

Jace was into the room before Maryse could even finish her sentence, and the others soon followed. Everyone immediately surrounded the only bed in use, where Clary was lying down, covered in countless blankets and pillows.

Jace ran over to her, taking her hand in his. Clary opened her eyes, meeting Jace's gaze. Her face lit up and she smiled weakly, and that was all it took for Jace to press his lips against hers in a soft, passionate kiss.

As soon as they broke away Jace pressed his forehead against Clary's. "I thought I lost you. I thought I'd never get to see you again."

Clary smiled at him lovingly, before turning her head slightly to look over Jace's shoulder at Alec. She smiled at him, and despite the tight coil still wrapped around his chest, Alec smiled back.

Clary turned back to Jace. "I told you I'd be fine," she whispered, kissing the tip of his nose lightly. "Alec was there."

 **I  
I**

 **Guys, you don't need to tell me how bad this was, I already know. I'm literally sitting here typing this like two minutes before the bus comes, so if it seems a little rushed, at least I have an excuse. I'll try my best to edit this soon so it doesn't suck as bad as it does right now, but my trip is tonight so I might not be able to update for a little over a week, and I wanted to get this out to you guys. This is the last part of The Hunt, and after this I'll be going back to random oneshots. Continue to request any oneshot you want in the reviews!**

 **I was also thinking about making one where Izzy asks Clary to be her** ** _parabatai_** **, and Clary goes to Alec for advice. Is that something you guys would like to see?**

 **Okay, now I'm rambling. Sorry! I also know that I glossed over some facts, like why Simon can enter the Institute if he's a vampire, but as I said I have to be on the bus in like thirty seconds so I didn't have too much time to make up an explanation for that.**

 **I'm so sorry for how bad and short this is, but I hope it's enough to satisfy you guys until I get back. As always, please review and I love you all!**

 **-A :))**


	7. The Parabatai

"Hey, Clary!" Izzy bounded into the training room, full of energy.

Clary paused form where she was practicing knife throwing, pocketing her blades to turn and smile at her best friend. "What's up, Iz?"

Isabelle's whole demeanor immediately changed, and the black-haired beauty looked down at her feet. "I just wanted to ask you something."

Clary frowned at her friend's strange behavior, and moved forward to place her hand on Izzy's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "What's wrong, babe? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Izzy replied with a tight smile that Clary saw right through, "Just nervous, I guess."

"Nervous?" Clary laughed, "I didn't think that the great Isabelle Lightwood was capable of being nervous." At Isabelle's forced chuckle, Clary changed her approach.

"Hey," she said in a gentler tone, "You know that you never have to be nervous around me. What's up?" Suddenly understanding hit the redhead, and she grabbed Izzy's other arm frantically. "By the angel, are you pregnant?"

Izzy looked up at her friend with an incredulous look, her eyes wide. "What? No! What the hell, Clary?"

Clary sighed in relief, relinquishing her hold on the other shadowhunter. "Thank God. I was worried, Iz, you're acting really weird."

Izzy simply sat down on one of the training mats, pulling Clary with her.

"I just wanted to ask you something, and I'm not sure how you'll react."

"Izzy, you can ask me anything. Nothing's gonna change the way I think of you."

Izzy finally sighed in defeat, and turned directly to the redhead. "So, you know Jace and Alec, right?"

Clary grinned, "I think I may have heard of them, yes."

"Shut up." Izzy shoved Clary's shoulder, but continued. "They're _parabatai._ That's a big deal for a shadowhunter. You're becoming practically linked to another person, someone you have to promise to share your life with forever. You become the same person, you become each other's main priorities. Especially in my family, we take that obligation really seriously."

"I've noticed." Clary replied, thinking back on the amount of times she's been in battles with the entire group, how Jace and Alec always seemed to fight together as one. They didn't even have to look at each other or communicate at all, but they seemed to always know exactly what the other was doing.

Izzy finally looked up at Clary, her gaze intense. "I don't have a _parabatai._ The only person I really have that kind of relationship with is Alec, and maybe Jace when he's not being an asshole. But Alec has Jace, and Jace has Alec. I have no one." At this point Isabelle took a deep breath, and Clary may or may not have imagined the way her voice seemed to shake a bit on the next words, "Whenever we'd go on hunts, before you came along, I was a third wheel. Jace and Alec were this well-oiled machine, and I was always just used as the bait to lure demons towards me. I was a walking pair of boobs."

Clary laughed a little at that, but then took Izzy's hand in her own. She rubbed her thumb along the back of her friend's hand, silently showing her support. "I understand, Iz. But you know that they both love you."

"I know." Izzy replied, smiling gratefully up at the redhead, "But I still want a _parabatai._ I don't have one, and you don't have one, so I was wondering…"

Clary's breath caught in her chest, and her throat suddenly closed up.

"Clary, will you be my _parabatai_?"

Clary lightly knocked on Alec's door, her heart practically leaping out of her chest. "Alec? Are you in there? I need you."

The door was thrown open two seconds later, and before Clary knew what was happening she was in Alec's arms, his arms tight around her. He broke away for a moment to anxiously run his hands along her sides, and then cupped her face in his hands. His eyes searched her body for injuries, before becoming satisfied that she was unharmed.

"What's wrong, Lissa? Are you alright?" Alec asked after his checkup.

Clary resisted the urge to giggle at his antics, and instead smiled fondly at his over protectiveness. "I just needed some advice."

Alec rolled his eyes at this, "Of course you do. But I'm not giving you my insight on which condoms to use with Jace."

Clary's face heated up, and she playfully slapped Alec on the bicep. "You're such an ass, Alec Lightwood!"

Alec simply turned to sit down on his bed, patting a place for Clary to sit. Once she was situated, he took her hand in both of his. "Okay, spill."

Clary decided to just go with the truth and see what happens. "Izzy asked me to be her _parabatai_." She blurted out.

Alec's eyes went wide, before one of the biggest smiles she'd ever seen spread across his face. "Are you kidding? Clare, that's incredible! You—" He immediately broke off as he saw the somewhat forced grin on the redhead's face. "What's wrong? That's great news!"

Clary nodded, looking down on their still intertwined hands instead of at Alec's eyes. "I know. And there's no one else I'd rather be partners with than her, you know how much I love her. I just…" she trailed off.

"You just what?"

Clary finally met Alec's gaze, and his heart stopped as her saw her stunning emerald irises shining through a film of unshed tears. "I don't know what to do. I'm not like you guys, I didn't grow up as a shadowhunter. I don't know what I have to do, or how it'll feel…" Clary's voice broke, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "What if I'm a horrible _parabatai_? What if I'm not good enough for her, and she gets hurt when there was something I could've done to help?

"I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her because of me."

Alec squeezed Clary's hands. "Lissa, becoming _parabatai_ won't change any of that. Izzy's gonna risk her life for you whether you guys are _parabatai_ or not, and you'd do the same for her. Do you know why?" At this Alec gently lifted Clary's chin to meet her eyes, "Because you two love each other, and would do anything for each other. You're family."

The tears that Clary had been holding back were finally set free as the redhead smiled at her best friend, and before she knew what she was doing her arms were around Alec and her head was buried in his chest.

Alec stiffened for a moment, but Clary continued to squeeze him and eventually he got over his initial shock and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Alec. I love you so much." Clary admitted quietly.

Alec smiled down at the tiny redhead in his arms. "No problem, Clary. I love you too."

 **I**

 **I**

 **Well, look who's alive!**

 **I am sososososo sorry that it's been so long! Life has just been getting crazier and crazier, and I kind of got caught up in this new TV series (*cough cough* The 100 *cough cough*) and I kind of lost interest in this story.**

 **But, don't worry, I'm back. I'm sorry that this sucks so badly, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. (do people even say that anymore? I sound like a 40 year old soccer mom)**

 **Oh, and there's this annoying line break in the story that I put in accidentally and can't delete, so if the formatting is all screwed up I apologize, I'll try to fix it.**

 **Please review, I honestly read every single review you guys leave me, and I get so excited when that little email notification pops up on my phone. I'm always taking requests for new oneshots, and I'll definitely need them as I try to build my creativity back up.**

 **As always, I love you all!**

 **-A :))**


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